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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin CrossClimate vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 2 + 1 road tests and 152 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–74

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Michelin CrossClimate
Tire AMichelin

CrossClimate

All Season

± 5

Tests 75 · 2 tests Owners 74 · 152 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 14 in 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test (noise)

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 76

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +3
    79
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests78≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online7484

    CrossClimate: 60% × 77.9 + 40% × 73.5 = 76

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    No road tests of dry for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 76

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    81
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests75≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online7886

    CrossClimate: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 77.8 = 76

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.5 = 81

    No road tests of wet for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 69

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    74
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests71≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6577

    CrossClimate: 60% × 70.9 + 40% × 65.4 = 69

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 74

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +1
    75
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7678

    CrossClimate: 40% × 70.1 (est.) + 60% × 75.8 = 74

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for CrossClimate. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    CrossClimate: 60% × 70.7 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of noise for CrossClimate. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 74

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +6
    80
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7475
    Reviews found online7586

    CrossClimate: 60% × 73.8 + 40% × 74.9 = 74

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80

  7. 73

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +9
    82
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online7382
  8. 76

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests76–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin CrossClimateMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 74 79
Dry 76 79
Wet 76 81
Snow 69 74
Comfort 74 75
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 74 80
Handling (owners) 73 82
Efficiency 76 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

CrossClimate

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryCrossClimateDefender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/9 2018 ADAC All Season Tyre Test #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A CrossClimate

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and durability
  • Strong wet-weather grip and hydroplaning resistance
  • Reliable traction in light snow and cold conditions

Cons

  • Tendency to pick up and retain small stones in the tread pattern
  • Noticeable drop in performance as tread depth decreases
  • Potential for reduced fuel economy compared to dedicated summer tires
All owner themes in the CrossClimate review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability, often exceeding 60,000 miles
  • Smooth, quiet, and comfortable highway ride quality
  • Strong traction and secure handling in wet, dry, and moderate snow conditions

Cons

  • High initial purchase price compared to competitors
  • Subpar off-road performance, specifically struggling in mud, sand, and loose gravel
  • Limited ice performance compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin CrossClimate B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
UTQG—720 - 800 B A

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin CrossClimate

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 73 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 74 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 81 vs 76 on wet.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 69 on snow.

Tire A · Michelin CrossClimate
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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CrossClimate or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, CrossClimate or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 81 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, CrossClimate or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 76 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, CrossClimate or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 69 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, CrossClimate or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 75 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, CrossClimate or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 74 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology